Hey there, I'm back on Blogspot! :D

I've figured out now how I want to distinguish between the posts on this blog and the ones on my Tumblelog.

I've been using Tumblr for the whole month of February, familiarizing myself with its features and enjoying how easy it is to use. Thus, my less personal entries go there, like updates on my makeup artistry projects and videos.

Here, on Blogspot, I will be posting longer, or at least more personal, entries. Any of the experiences I feel are inspiring or possibly helpful for others will go here as well.

Now that that's settled, I will be on here again a bit more frequently. Even if you aren't on Tumblr, you can still see what I've been up to over there at http://leawhitefeather.tumblr.com

Wishing you an awesome day,

~Lea

With my little boy, who just turned two

I didn't think this would happen...

...but I'm on Tumblr now.

I'm not abandoning this blog, but I decided to sign up for a Tumblr account because there were a couple of blogs I liked over there, and I wanted to follow them. Initially, I didn't want something more to maintain and log into, but I am really enjoying the features so far.

I'll think of ways to distinguish what I post over here from what I post over there, as I want to go play with what Tumblr has to offer.

Leaving you with just this little note for now, and I wish you a great weekend, whether you're a Super Bowl fan or not.


Later!
~Lea

Hahaha, fooled you! He's actually the one blogging. ;)

Makeup: Paint for the Face

With or without makeup, you're awesome!

All throughout my life, I've heard a lot of the issues that people have with makeup.

For instance, some think it's pretentious, as they assume that we are insecure and hide who we really are when we wear it.

While I'm not here to change anybody's mind about anything, I just wanted to put my personal perspective out there for anyone who enjoys using makeup, yet feels like s/he might be doing the "wrong" thing by devoting time and energy to something that's been called "superficial." Maybe you can relate to something here.

Personally, I don't see makeup as a MUST.

You don't need it to love nor accept yourself.

You don't HAVE TO wear it before you step outside.

Simplistically, I don't think that true beauty has anything to do with externals. What we choose to do with our appearance can say a lot about the kind of person on the inside, but I don't think that someone who is well-groomed--attractive though she may be to look at--is automatically the kindest or most compassionate person.

I also wouldn't go to the other end of the spectrum and say that this person is vain and selfish just because she looks good. That's more of a judgement than a fact.

Being well-groomed is what it is; the person took the time to look nice, but to assume he is either a "good" or "bad" individual because of this says more about the one doing the judging than the one being judged.

While it is true that makeup can be used to disguise what doesn't feel particularly flattering to you, like undereye circles and uneven skin pigmentation, I personally look at it more as a plaything than a lie.

I enjoy playing with makeup because I like being artistic, and if my face can serve as a canvas for this passion of mine, I'll take it. By all means, I'll gladly paint others' faces too, hahaha!

All those colors to experiment with...

All the looks to create and recreate...

Such thoughts make my blood rush through my veins, instead of merely flowing through them.

Besides, I don't believe that our personality is who we truly are anyway (as compared to the soul, which has greater depth). It's more of a tool to navigate through the world, and who's to say you shouldn't be bolder than you usually are, or more soft-spoken today as compared to yesterday, if it pleases you?

Makeup--along with other things, such as your hairstyle and your outfit--can assist you with getting into character for expressing your mood or using the world as your stage if you want to play out any fantasies. It is a tool that helps you look sophisticated one day, wild the next, and avant-garde next week, if that's your thing.

And if it isn't, that doesn't make those who do love it terrible people just because you don't share the same interests. How do we know that the person we've formed a negative opinion about based on our own issues isn't actually a really awesome person? Whether they are or they aren't is, more often than not, not even our business in the first place.

I'll be back on this blog soon. If you found this relevant and want more, you can click HERE for an older post along the same lines, and HERE for a vlog on the subject on my YouTube channel.

Wishing you a BEAUTIFUL day,

~Lea

Nude Lips

As I recounted in my previous blog post, a lip color other than red or its many variations doesn't make sense to some.

And who can blame them, what with red being a popular go-to lipstick shade for centuries now?

But for those of us who enjoy experimenting with different looks and effects, paler hues on our lips are definitely an option. After all--and I am only speaking for myself here--I don't always want a super attention-catching color on my lips, nor do I wish to pair bold eyes with equally bold lips all the time.

I've filmed a tutorial with quick tips on wearing a nude lip for anyone who has yet to try it, or who has already tried it but didn't quite like it. Maybe if you gave it another shot and did a couple of things differently this time, you'll find the results more to your liking.

For now, I'm signing off to go to bed. Here's to a great night... or whatever time of day it is where you are.

Stay tuned!

~Lea

UPDATE: Click HERE to see the tutorial

On Red Lips

When I was thirteen going on fourteen, I was in a beauty pageant for teenagers. I used pink lipstick whenever I made myself up for pageant events, because I felt it was fresh and youthful, basically age-appropriate.

However, the pageant organizer, who hailed from the days of perfectly coiffed and made up old school film stars, always told me to put some lipstick on.

What he meant, of course, was to put RED lipstick on.

After all, despite its status in the distant past as something that painted ladies put on to appear more enticing to customers, red lipstick had become a classy classic--an accessory that could make a woman look pulled together and dressed up, even if she wore no other makeup.

While I've grown to appreciate this item of makeup, I also still love wearing pink and nude lip shades. As a makeup artist especially, why choose only one color?

Blowing you lipstick kisses,

~Lea

P.S.: You may also like this blog entry, also on lipstick: http://yourmostbeautifullife.blogspot.com/2010/09/standout-lips.html

...and here's a recent pin-up tutorial where pink-red lipstick is used as an alternative to true red:

Click HERE for the tutorial

What Matters Most

With my precious baby boy

When you get a wake-up call that threatens to turn your life upside down in quite frightening ways, you realize all the more what really matters.

You find yourself making choices that you wouldn't have made before, because your well-being depends on a new way of life now.

I can't assume that everyone who finds themselves in such a situation would feel or act the same way, but that's exactly what I've been experiencing lately.

Without going into to much detail so I don't bog you down, I've had to change my entire diet along with a bunch of eating habits. This wasn't a New Year's resolution--in fact, I hadn't made any. Yet, it was a necessary move if I wanted to stay alive.

I am grateful that the changes aren't just going to help me survive, they are actually going to help make my life much better, as I've chucked quite a few foods I used to have on a regular basis, if not everyday.

You might think, Oh, but you can go slow. Cold turkey's not necessary, but see, I just can't touch those foods anymore. The moment I have them, even in small amounts, my body reacts in ways I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Besides, it's not like I gave up healthy foods; what I've crossed off my list are items that aren't good for anyone to make a habit of eating or consuming anyway despite any pros there may be for ingesting them.

So goodbye, caffeine... Goodbye, refined sugars.

Since my list of foods from the past has dwindled considerably, now the only other option left to me if I want to get and stay better is to eat healthy foods in order to have a balanced diet.

We take something good for granted, and only start to realize how much of a blessing it was once we no longer have it, or something changes that we no longer have the same access to what we once had... even if only temporarily.

And now, all the more do I want to reserve my energy and attention for the things and beings that uplift me. Arguments and negativity in various forms only drain my time and precious energy. You really feel how sucked you are of your strength when you've gotten so sensitive due to these changes, that you want to devote what you do have to things that make you smile, in turn raising your energy.

The good news is, the changes I've made have been helping a great deal. While I still am in the process of stabilizing and getting used to this new way of eating, I am feeling much better than I did in the past few weeks, when my body started to signal to me its need for nutrients rather than empty calories.

I don't want to sound preachy, but I just have to say that in my experience, it's true: what you eat does matter. What you put into your body does make a difference. It took more than three decades for me to get that, but I think the lesson's finally sinking in. :)

So... how has your 2011 been so far? Here's to a really blessed (and more conscious already it seems!) year for those who want it!

Love,

~Lea

Dark Prom: A Short Story

Katherine Rose does not protest as her sister steps towards her, a tube of lip gloss in hand. She normally would have waved away college-age Julia and her attempts at a makeover, but not tonight.

Julia dabs just a hint of the shimmery pink liquid on the center of Katherine's bottom lip, as Katherine silently admires the velvet burgundy dress she couldn't wait for prom to wear. She finally has it on, along with the choker to match, the antique cameo dangling from the soft ribbon once her mother's, and her grandmother's before that. Now it is hers. Only an event like tonight's would have made her mother even consider passing this particular piece of jewelry on to her.

Katherine sighs at the image of serenity in front of her. If only it could have always been like this... no frown creasing her forehead, and even a hint of a smile around her lips. Her straight, dark hair wasn't just brushed free of the tangles that completed her usual look--tonight, someone had actually helped curl it. The lady had followed Katherine's mother's instructions to recreate the same style Katherine wore on her Sweet Sixteen just months ago. Now Katherine laughs at the memory of Barbara Rose showing the lady the entire photo album of the event.

It is a moment worth remembering, but it is also the kind that Katherine will never have again.

Even though she doesn't turn to look at me, I can feel that she is aware of my presence as I move closer to her.

We have had numerous conversations--she and I--of feeling misunderstood and different from everybody else day in and day out.

And I assured her that everything would be better if she just got out more, and found some like-minded friends, but I guess she never listened.

I made it a point to see her, especially after she turned sixteen and felt especially alone, not caring if my presence at odd hours in her bedroom prompted her to talk to herself again, as her family called it so many times since she was little.

Maybe I shouldn't have done that.

After all, the teasing only escalated at that point, particularly when I started visiting her at school as well.

Tonight, she finally turns to look at me without so much sadness in her eyes. I can only assume that the slight bit I see there is because she is thinking she will miss her family, and the opportunity she once had to travel around the world, accompanied perhaps by the as-yet-faceless love of her life, and maybe eventually a baby or two.

I had told her that any challenges she faced would pass given enough time, so she should just be patient.

Instead, she made the decision I did forty years ago, when I felt the same way about my existence as she did hers, and despised how much of a curse seeing ghosts can be on any social life I could possibly have.

"Shall we, Grandma?" Katherine asks as we get ready to go. She takes one last look at herself--her other self forever lying still, never to move again--as her ethereal form drifts closer to me.

There are more people in the small room now, and I know there won't be enough seats later to accommodate them all.

The slashes on the wrists of Katherine's earthly body are hidden by the way her hands are folded over her belly, but they all know.

Everyone walking through the chapel door to say goodbye to Katherine, wearing the dress she was saving for prom, knows she took her life.

Click HERE for Dark Prom: A Makeup Tutorial

Copyright © 2011 by Lea WhiteFeather